04 March 2023 :
(MARCH 1, 2023) - House Bill 186 allowing execution by firing squad heads to the Idaho House floor for a vote
The Idaho Legislature’s House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would add the firing squad as an alternative method of execution when lethal injection is unavailable.
As of now, lethal injection is the only form of execution in Idaho.
The state of Idaho has 8 inmates on death row, and one of those inmates has been scheduled for execution. The state was scheduled to execute Gerald Pizzuto on Dec. 15 for the 1985 murder of Berta and Delbert Herndon outside of McCall. However, the Idaho Department of Correction was unable to obtain the chemicals necessary to execute Pizzuto by lethal injection and was unable to carry out the execution.
On Feb. 24, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced the state obtained a new death warrant for Pizzuto, and the Idaho Supreme Court scheduled Pizzuto’s execution for March 23.
In a Feb. 24 press release announcing the new death warrant, Labrador said the Idaho Department of Correction is working hard to acquire the lethal injection chemicals. Labrador also asked the Idaho Legislature to provide the state with an alternative method of execution.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, sponsored House Bill 186, which would add the firing squad as an alternative method of execution for the state of Idaho to use when lethal injections are unavailable. Skaug said he worked with Labrador’s office to draft House Bill 186 and ensure it passes constitutional muster.
